Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Macromedia and Adobe: Finally One

Macromedia and Adobe: Finally One: "Q: But I've been talking to several creative professionals this morning, and there's concern that if Macromedia gets subsumed into a bigger company it might lose its innovative edge.
Chizen: [The innovative edge is] why we bought Macromedia. We're not buying a distressed company. We're buying one with incredible assets, including customers, developers, and employees. The fact that Stephen [Elop] agreed to join us (he will be president of worldwide field operations for the combined company) and help with the customer-facing part of the organization -- along with a number of other key executives -- shows that. Betsy Nelson, Macromedia's CFO, is heading up the integration.
Keep in mind that Adobe is a company that has literally decided not to do that many acquisitions in the past because we understood integration is a risk. The reason we moved ahead and felt comfortable [this time] is our ability to do the integration. Granted, it's never easy. But it's something very doable. We have similar visions, similar business models, and similar strategies.

Q: Are you closing Macromedia's San Francisco office? Will Macromedia keep any of its brand identity?
Elop: In terms of buildings and so forth, the Macromedia campus continue to be a vibrant center of development. Overall, the corporate name will be Adobe. "